The Self in Western and Eastern Thought: PDF

CHAPTER FIVE THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHT THEORIES OF THE SELF IN EASTERN CULTURES AND CIVILIZATION CONFUCIANISM Confucianism is an ethical and philosophical system that originated in ancient China, attributed to the teachings of Confucius or Kong Qiu (551-479 BCE). It emphasizes mora...

CHAPTER FIVE THE SELF IN WESTERN AND EASTERN THOUGHT THEORIES OF THE SELF IN EASTERN CULTURES AND CIVILIZATION CONFUCIANISM Confucianism is an ethical and philosophical system that originated in ancient China, attributed to the teachings of Confucius or Kong Qiu (551-479 BCE). It emphasizes moral virtues, social harmony, and ethical behavior, with a focus on cultivating personal and societal well-being through principles such as filial piety, respect for elders, benevolence, and proper conduct in relationships and society. Confucianism can be defined as both a philosophy and a code of ethical conduct that places great emphasis on how one should properly act according to their relationship with other people in order to achieve a harmonious social life. It believes that every individual decision has a collective reaction; Confucianism thus champions filial piety, strong family loyalty, the veneration of one’s ancestors, respect for the elders, and the belief that the family is the basis for an ideal society. It is then understandable why the self for followers of Confucianism is one that is therefore interwoven greatly with the status and state of his/her community or culture. While self-cultivation is an ideal that must be sought by everyone as their ultimate purpose in life, men must still be cognizant of the state of their social relationships. Status is not only a reflection of one’s influence but also of one’s character. If one is of noble birth, one is expected to embody noble virtues in both their private and public life and in every decision and action that they make and do. If one’s reputation is tarnished, one’s character is also tarnished. Personal needs must be subdued for the good of many as everything you must do must need to be done for the greater good. TAOISM Taoism is a philosophical and spiritual tradition that originated in ancient China, primarily associated with the teachings of Laozi. It emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao, which can be understood as the fundamental force or principle that underlies and unifies everything in the universe. Taoists seek to align themselves with the natural order of things, embracing simplicity, spontaneity, and inner peace. Practices such as meditation, tai chi, and qigong are often associated with Taoism, aiming to cultivate balance, harmony, and spiritual enlightenment. It is often simply defined as living in the way of the Tao or the universe. What the Tao is is difficult to pinpoint as texts describing it usually both agree with but then contradict with one another. This leads scholars to agree to disagree that the Tao has no one definitive definition. It introduces a viewpoint wherein one must reject the strictness that Confucianism promotes and aims for one to live a simpler lifestyle. In a Taoist life, the self is a concept that is not only influenced and connected to one’s community but to the universe as well (which is a manifestation of the Tao as well). The ideal self is one that is selfless (a selfless that is not self-sacrificial but living a balanced life with both society and nature), open and alright with change, non- prejudicial, and a lover of equality (regardless of species). This standard is set so highly and difficult because if this is achieved, one will be able to spontaneously act because you will not be restricted by some law or material standard. You are in harmony with everything. BUDDHISM Buddhism is a spiritual tradition founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) in ancient India. It teaches the Four Noble Truths, focusing on the nature of suffering and the path to enlightenment through mindfulness, meditation, and ethical living. The goal is to achieve liberation from suffering (nirvana) and the cycle of rebirth (samsara). Buddhism as both a belief system and a philosophy has been so spread and developed that it has so many sub-branches and variation so much so that talking about just one variation is a disservice to each of their sub-branches ideologies. Instead of talking about each variation, we can preserve our discussion’s brevity by looking at each one’s common ideas and principles: It was believed by Buddhists that the idea of the self is one that is a mere illusion; one that is born out of sheer ignorance and desperation to cling to some semblance of control in our lives. It is therefore born out of human’s self-centered need to be the center of our selves, as such, this “self” is also the source of our sufferings. It is thus our quest to forget about this “self” or our quest for the self, break the attachments that we have with the world, and to renounce this illusion, which is the cause of all our sufferings, and in doing so, reach the state of nirvana. BRAHMANISM Brahmanism is an ancient religious tradition from India centered around the concept of Brahman, the ultimate reality. It emphasizes Vedic rituals, social hierarchy based on duty (dharma), belief in reincarnation governed by karma, and paths to liberation (moksha) through devotion, knowledge, and disciplined action. One central tenet of Brahmanism is the idea that the self is sacred and divine; that each person’s soul and spirit contains within themselves a small sliver of Brahman the god, and must therefore be given and afforded the same amount of respect that one would give a god. This therefore means that each self must be protected and preserved. PERCEIVED GENERAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EASTERN AND WESTERN THOUGHT The self for these perspectives is not a focus but more like a collateral development. Confucianism and Taoism situate the self in terms of a bigger context while B just wants to erase it completely. For Confucianism and Taoism, one need not create a self that is bigger than others around them but to be a self that is beneficial to their community and in harmony with their world. For Buddhism, these concerns are trivial and must be left behind. This marks the difference between Eastern and Western thought when it comes to the self. For Western perspectives, the focus is always looking for or toward the self. No matter what you do or where you go, one places primacy in developing yourself. There also exists in Western thought the concept of duality, that the creator is separate or different from its creation, that the self is distinct and acknowledged as distinct from other aspects of it. For the Eastern perspectives, the self is one that is part of one’s self as well that of others given that you and your society is interconnected even in terms of your self and identity formation through the forms of roles and expectations. Such differences also show the differences in both schools of thought’s culture whereas Western thought is more individualistic where Eastern thought values collectivity more; meaning that the group is more important than the individual. In Western thought, competition between both individuals and groups are often seen as normal or the standard (whether it is to their benefit or not), both for Eastern thought would rather that individuals look after the welfare of their group and ensuring cooperation rather competition. They are more amenable to compromises. Western thought also place more emphasis on equality and the idea that the individual can rise above everything else! In a time of competition, it is the responsibility of each individual to ensure that there is fairness to protect both individuals involved. Eastern though ensure fairness not through collective effort, though, but through hierarchy. If the hierarchy is followed, everything is in harmony and in order. THE FILIPINO SELF THROUGH THE FILIPINO PERSPECTIVE It has become a trend in Philippine intellectual circles to “decolonize” ideas so that we are able to see and evaluate our own thoughts without the influence of our historical colonizers’s ideologies and principles. Following the lead of numerous amazing Filipino scholars such as Prospero Covar, Zeus Salazar, and Virgilio Enriquez, they had uncovered a more context-appropriate perspective of looking at the self, using our traditions, native language, and folklore! For example, the Filipino self or personality as a “shared identity” that is specifically connected to the concept of kapwa, meaning that we place importance to values that promote cooperation and social acceptance because we see the other person as a fellow human being and as a part of who we are. This is also why we have the concept of hiya, utang na loob, and pakikisama. They reflect how we relate to others or how we want to be perceived by our peers.